Let's Construct a Safe Aqueduct

THIS is the OCA

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(Click thumbnail to get full sized picture)

In Sleepy Hollow,
the Old Croton Aqueduct
has been taken over by home owners on Hudson Terrace.
None have permission from the State to do so.
This forces people to walk and bike through the High School parking lot.
Parking lots are dangerous places.

New York's Department of Parks
is interested in reclaiming and reopening this safe right of way.
State Parks will do the heavy lifting, but they need to know there's
local public support and political will.

Route 448 Crosswalk

At the north end of this stretch, we need to create a safe crosswalk for
Bedford Rd (Route 448).

Doing this right is totally doable,
though involves a lot of details because of the street's curves and hills.
Building a raised crosswalk,
installing signs,
and reactivating the flashing lights in a way that they get activated when
people approach the crosswalk is not rocket science.

Sidewalks for Briggsville

Walking in Sleepy Hollow's Briggsville neighborhood is dangerous.
In fact, a person driving killed a person walking on Webber Ave in 2003.

A sidewalk loop needs to be constructed that runs
up the north side of Bedford Rd to Sleepy Hollow Rd,
then along Sleepy Hollow Rd to Webber Ave,
and back along Webber Ave to Bedford Rd.

Implementing all of the proposals above will mean kids in Briggsville
can safely walk to the Middle School and High School.

Pine Close - OCA Connection

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Connection between the Old Croton Aqueduct and Pine Close so southern Webber Park residents can access it without going on Bedford Rd. (map on right)
Avoiding Bedford Rd is good due to poor sight lines, narrow lanes, speeds,
steepness of the hill and distance.

Adding a contraflow bike lane on Pine St would create a safer, legal
way for residents to access their homes on this one way street
and the Aqueduct.

High School's Hallway

The OCA is severed by one of Sleepy Hollow High School's corridors.
Reconnecting this should be on on our long term wish list.
Some possible solutions are:

Use the actual Aqueduct tunnel to walk and bike through! Cool and
educational. Minimal school involvement. The tunnel is 7.5' wide and
8.5' high, which is not optimal, but could work.

Make the school walkway dip down through the Aqueduct, putting glass
on the sides so you can see into the Aqueduct cross section

A trail bridge over the school

Gorey Brook Rd

The Village and State need to rework the OCA / Gorey Brook Rd crossing.
Cars park all over the right of way. A dedicated, safe space
for walking and cycling is needed so people of all ages and abilities
can use the Aqueduct.

Route 117 Connections

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(Click thumbnail to get full sized picture)

(Click thumbnail to get full sized picture)

Route 117 is the only east - west corridor for several miles.
It has wide shoulders, excellent for people confident cycling.
It connects to the North County Trailway, Pace University and Pleasantville.
While the OCA passes over Route 117,
there are no official connections between the two.

Creating access points between the Aqueduct and Route 117 is relatively simple,
taking advantage of existing geographic contours.
See the maps, diagrams and photos here.

Rockwood Hall Connection

People biking aren't allowed to ride the short trail that connects the OCA
to the Regeneron (ex NY Life) campus.
Adjusting the status of htis link
(see green line near top of the diagram at left)
opens up recreational opportunities by completing RiverWalk
as well as commuting options to
Regeneron,
Kendal-on-Hudson and
Phelps Hospital.

Making All This Happen

Making all this happen starts with getting these ideas into Sleepy Hollow's
Comprehensive Plan.
Doing so involves showing the consultants there's
significant public interest.
Write them at
contact@sleepyhollowconnected.com

Tarrytown Grant

Shrubs blocking the curb ramp at Neperan Rd

We got Tarrytown a $300,000 grant to make the OCA nicer and safer.
Coming in the Spring of 2019 are crosswalks, curb ramps, signs,
surface smoothing and shrub clearing.